Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-03-04
u.t,v,, Indian Words

Why we accePt n'N'
out really knowing Their meaning Y
uuesticn no one can readily answer
b hit, that il is done daily iseasily proven
i NJ ,loubt MANY will feel surprised wheI
tbev find many Of the words we caiI
slang ara from our native Indian IAN
cuac 8 and have such direct ana per-
tlnent meanings that We Wou'u n s''.
use them again rs we do. TO or aoon.
people, after they have been eSpia'neu
to us. % az, q.
This was called moro forcibly to
mind tlan ever, through visit mace
Hon. Elijah NJ. Haines. Of Waukegan.
| m who Is one Of the few Intelligent
and learned men that have been devot-
inc their energies to investigating our
naf;ve North American Indian Ian
puagcs. or. as they are called by Inc
rpin.t ated, 'jargons.' There IS no
doubt but many have used the woru
skeezucks Now. note its mean ~.
Thjs word q from the Peqnot dialect
one Of the New England tribes, ana,
according 10 liberal translation means
domestic spy a person who j. look
INC or spying around through iaie Gu,
riosity. or a sort of Paul Fry ana
really The plain form Of the word mean
ing the eyes. :.
Hi-us-ty-cu-tus, or uiustycu,us' 20
from the Chinook language or lafgon
Of i tribe inhabiting Oregon ard WASH,
ingtou Territory, and means big CHIEF,
or ..bie chief OF the ranch, or "big
man az the household" and, bringing
Il down 10 the yernacular OF the present
day. ..I,lg Indian.
We have here in Chicago celebrated
political club called the Calumet. ne
invitations, letier-heads and all printed
matter pertaining 10 the institution
have on them an indiana heau win
the pipe Of peace close BY. NOW, the
general acceptance and belief Is that
this il mn Indian word. and meant to
signify the pipe OF peace. as smoked by
Tho Inatian tribes OF North Americans a
token or sign Of peace and friendliness
to the visitors and strangers, ana IN
their councils. -,
This is not an Indian word, neither
does 1t By itself signify pipe OF peace.
The word calumet is Norman French,
and signifies reed. which the Nor
mans used rs = tube to their pipes,
and as they had no other name FOR
pipe except This word calumet, which
related only TO tho tube OF the pipe,
lbey called the whole thing calumet
The Ojibways. Of the Indian tribe
Chlppeways, which Is the general stock
language Of tho Algonquin group,
used The word '.opoygan" as the name
81 the pipe. in which they placed to-
bacco for smoking. They had no
othcr name for the pipe, and made no
In auy class OF pipe for use
in smoking. by name. The smoking
II the pipe did not rs is asserted and
believed BY many. refer TO peace. The
act Of smoking might be in token OF
peace or In confirmation OF declara-
ton OF war.
Pipes for such occasions. whether
they related TO war or peace, were
rs q matter OF taste or to
designate them rs pipes for state occa-
slons
You W II bear In mind that. notwith-
tho introduction Of the word
Calumet to the Indians by the Norman
French. they continued the name
''opoygun' for the pipe.
Tie Norman French, who were.
among the early explorers of this
country. did not then use the word
calumet by itself alone az a dcs gnation
81 the pipe OF peace. They called it
'fhe calumet of peace" or MS we
would say. 1.-THE p pc Of peace, SO
that it viii DO reality seen that the
word calumet means simply tube or
pipe. Robert ~. Floyd 10 Boston
olr.er